Little Things…

Blow me a kiss from across the room.
Say I look nice when I’m not.
Touch my hair when you pass my chair.
Little things mean a lot.

So sang Kitty Kallen in 1954. How right she was. It is the little things. The little things are easy to overlook. The little things seem so insignificant; until that is, they come back to haunt you. Then you punish yourself humming the mantra of coulda-shoulda-woulda.

I just saw an ad in the local paper for a new breakfast restaurant. Ok, I saw it. Ok, I read it. Ok, so now I want to check them out. They’re located, as it states in their expensive (to them it is) little ad, at 12345 Main Avenue. Now I’ve lived in this area most of my life and I know (not real name) Main Avenue and it’s one of the longest streets in the city. Eleven miles long to be exact. And I can’t tell you where 12345 is.

That’s what got me started on this blog. It’s the little things! It would have been so much easier to say we’re on Main Avenue in the shadow of St. What’s His Face church (a real landmark with a real name, by the way). While I’m on a roll, the ad also states the names of the two proud owners, which is real nice but unless they know half of the city and vice versa, it means very little to me. Now if the last name was a connected one – say Kennedy or something as recognizable – well, I could understand what they were trying to do.

Now, in this day and age of the internet, you’d think they would have at least a rudimentary website. Today, having a website costs pennies a day and is almost idiot proof to set up (I think I’ve proven that) and allow potential customers to check you out before they check you out. A website is today’s version of the old Yellow Pages. If you can’t squeeze all of the customer contact information in your ad; you can at least refer them to your website, which also offers you a bonus. It tells you how well your ad pulled in customers or didn’t.

Not changing the subject; there’s a new place that opened on the main drag on my way to the university where I teach. Every time I’ve gone by, since the day it opened, I’ve wondered whether this mom and pop retail shop will survive just because - I can’t read their sign! Regardless of what it says, it’s written in hot pink on a white background. Maybe the fact that it’s now the fourth business in five years to reside there that’s making me assume there may be others to follow.

Back to the concept/theme of this blog – it’s the little things. I’ve been really looking at finding a niche for myself and my profession and, after some head scratching provoked by a strong feeling of déjà vu; I remembered something I was quoted about in a newspaper article on small businesses and advertising a long time ago. I said something along the lines of to wanting to create a source of advertising services for small businesses based on the McDonald’s model.

So close and yet so far from the solution was I in my youth and inexperience. And now, in my middle years, by golly, I think I’ve got it - Business Engineering! Business Engineering offers small business owners exactly what they need – expert guidance and good advice for a reasonable price. The crux of the matter is that too many businesses should NOT advertise before they’re ready to. Remember, first impressions are indeed lasting impressions. Once the public is exposed to you, they will INSTANTLY evaluate, categorize and then QUICKLY slot you away in their minds based only on their experience of your communication. If that communication is fuzzy or off-base, or, if the layout is cluttered and the visuals inconsistent with the text; the result will be the same. Whether what they’ve learned (or, struggled to learn) about you came from a poorly written ad or a badly done sign you won’t get a second look, never mind a second thought..